Agricultural Materials
Program
NIFA is USDA's principal link to academia
and participates in a nationwide agricultural
research planning and coordination system
that includes state land-grant universities
and the agricultural industry. As the federal
partner in a cooperative system, NIFA provides
leadership and funding to its university
partners and other cooperators to advance
research, extension, and higher education
in the food and agricultural sciences and
related environmental and human sciences.
NIFA promotes research and development for biobased industrial products and bioenergy primarily through its Agricultural Materials Program, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Sustainable Biofuels Challenge, and Small Business Innovation Research Program.
The Agricultural Materials Program provides
funding for new crop development to encourage
crop diversity and for new uses of conventional
agricultural materials to stimulate market
expansion. Non-competitive funding through
formula grants and special research grants
to land-grant universities support a range
of basic and applied research topics including
plant breeding and genetics, crop production,
materials processing, and product development.
Products include lubricants, energy, fibers,
polymers, chemicals, and uses of agricultural
waste.
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